JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — More hate crimes are being reported around the country and the FBI said there are still many going unreported. Last year, the bureau reported 11,288 hate crimes in the U.S. The FBI says that’s a 36% increase since 2018.
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The FBI is now launching a new movement, United Against Hate, to stop the violence and find where it’s not being reported. FBI Jacksonville is among the agencies around Florida now using the campaign to educate communities on what hate crimes are and how to report them.
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“We are all very concerned about the rise in hate crimes we’ve seen all across the country,” Sherri Onks, the special agent in charge at FBI Jacksonville. said
Action News Jax went through the FBI’s records. We found 155 of last year’s reported hate crimes were in Florida, with 186 in Georgia. Here’s a breakdown of the motivators for most of these reported crimes:
- 196 motivated by race (57% of Florida/Georgia hate crimes in 2022)
- 65 motivated by sexual orientation (19% of Florida/Georgia hate crimes in 2022)
- 56 motivated by religion (16% of Florida/Georgia hate crimes in 2022)
Several hate crimes are still being felt in the northeast Florida communities. The FBI says there have been at least four in the region this year. At least three were in Jacksonville.
Read: ‘This is ridiculous:’ Hate crimes at all-time high, SPLC says
“None of us will forget the senseless killing of three innocent victims at the Dollar General store here in Jacksonville,” Onks said.
This was the most recent hate crime in Jacksonville, a racially motivated mass shooting at a New Town Dollar General that happened back in August. Action News Jax, at the time, told you when a Clay County man targeting black people killed Angela Carr, Jerrald Gallion, and Anolt “AJ” Laguerre, Jr.
The FBI says it’s still investigating the shooting.
“Florida is a law and order state,” Sheriff Bill Leeper of the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office said, “we will show absolutely no tolerance for hate crimes.”
Read: Man accused of hate crimes in fatal stabbing of Muslim boy, 6, wounding of mother
The FBI says the campaign will allow it to offer more support to local agencies for preventing these crimes and encourage victims to come forward.
“It’s critical for your own safety and the safety of your community that you must report it,” Onks said.
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The FBI has a website to report hate crimes directly to the bureau. If you or anyone you know needs to report a hate crime, you can turn in a tip here.
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